


Run to You

by Iwalkalone258



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Drabbles, F/M, Fluff, cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-10-26 19:31:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10793277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iwalkalone258/pseuds/Iwalkalone258
Summary: Intimate moments between Barry and Iris leading up to May 23rd. [Drabbles]





	1. 'Cause You'll be Safe in These Arms of Mine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wanderer765](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderer765/gifts).



> Hey guys, I wanted to write some moments between B and I leading up to May 23rd. So my goal is to update with new moments every other day or so :) Added note: This, all of these drabbles, are dedicated to Wanderer765. She's so inspiring and she inspires me. Stay sweet girly, always.

The drumming of her heart almost lulls him into a sweet comatose state. He loves being like this with her. She’s sprawled underneath him with her iPad glued to her fingers. He figures she’s either working or reading or doing both because of the stillness in the atmosphere. It’s late, midnight late but neither can sleep.

Barry snuggles closer into her petite frame and smiles at the rumble of her chuckle. Has he mentioned he loves being like this? Her fingers combs languidly through his hair and every so often she presses a kiss to the top of his head. Nothing in the world is worth more than these individualised, unique moments between them. 

His eyelids flutter downwards and he inhales the strawberry aroma of her body wash. Always strawberry with a hint of citrus. He turns his head and kisses the exposed area of her chest. The heaviness of the future is forgotten temporarily with each ticking second. She doesn’t die in fourteen days when they’re  tangled up like this. She’s tangible, real and his for the eternity they promised each other. 

Savitar doesn’t exist, the threat he poses doesn’t factor into any section of their lives and Barry, God, Barry for the life of him wishes they could stay in this perfect little bubble forever. A bubble where he sees her walk down the aisle in a beautiful white gown. A bubble where she tells him in front of the entire universe that he’s it, he’s the one. A bubble where they have children and she wins the pulitzer award for being the best journalist. A bubble where she breathes, and breathes, and breathes. He sighs in an attempt to ease the sudden pain caterpillaring around his ribcage. 

“You okay?” She questions, dragging him from his traitorous thoughts. He was never any good at hiding his emotions from her. Barry levels his chin on her chest and looks up into her face.  There’s a pregnant pause where they stare openly at one another and she uses the heel of her foot to caress his outer thigh.  

“Mhm,” He mutters, watching every inch of her expression. Her curls frame her face and the love in her eyes race through him faster than any lightning bolt.  She’s beautiful. Actually more than beautiful and sometimes he wishes he had the appropriate words to tell her as much. But describing how gorgeous she is is similar to describing how he feels. There’s no logical phrase or description in the world that adequately informs her of any of it. 

“Are you?” He retorts before she can weasel an honest answer out of him. 

“Yes.” There’s a tilt to her lips, it’s mischievous and sexy. He leans over and takes the iPad from her grasp placing it somewhere on the bed, forgotten.  

“Good,” His movements are quick and Iris doesn’t see it coming. He shows her no mercy as his fingers race all of her body tickling her. Her laughter rings out, soft and melodious. He doesn’t allow his mind to ponder on the what if’s. What if Savitar succeeds? What if he can’t save her? He doesn’t allow any of it.

He straddles her hips and she starts wiggling out of control from his playful assault and all he can do is pause. He pauses to take her in; her curls, her smile, and her bright eyes. He pauses to soak every detail of it in. 

“What?” She asks once her breathing evens out. Her hands have found their way onto his, their fingers entwined like the strings of their souls.

“I just…” he pulls their conjoined hands between their bodies as he leans down. “I just, really love you.” Her eyes soften, and she angles her head upwards to receive the press of his lips. 


	2. You're Beautiful When you Look at Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She can’t help the tears rolling down her cheeks but Barry’s already wiping them away, already picking her up before she collapses.

Barry does a double take when he notices what’s in her hands.  _ Brides _ , the magazine reads. There’s this weird sensation in his chest, not a bad one, just a weird one. One he hasn’t recognized in a while. He forgets about grabbing a drink and plops down next to her on the sofa.

“What’s that?” he questions, pretending not to know what she’s absorbed in. She glances sideways at him, a questioning eyebrow raised. She probably shouldn’t have bought the magazine in the first place but sometimes her fingers have a mind of their own. These are one of those times. The magazine taunted her on her way home and now here she is. Maybe she shouldn’t have picked it up and added it to her cart but why? Is it because she’s on borrowed time? She heaves a breath and snaps the magazine shut, the pages making a rippling noise in her hands. Dammit.

She lifts it up to show him the cover before resting it back in her lap. The gesture reeks of defeat and Iris feels stupid. She feels stupid for thinking about planning their wedding, for thinking she would even have a chance to do so. Barry uses the pads of his fingers to guide her gaze to his. The glint in her eyes breaks his heart all over again but he gives her a toothy grin, one that reassures her tremendously.

There’s not a single doubt in his mind that he can’t save her. He will.  

“I think it’s great. Do you need any help from me?” Unspoken words float between them. They’re telepathic that way sometimes. _I know_ , he says with his eyes. _I know and I will protect you_. Iris’s lips spread upwards into a sad smile. She can’t help the tears rolling down her cheeks but Barry’s already wiping them away, already picking her up before she collapses. Savitar won’t win, she rationalizes, not when she has her very own superhero.

“Yes,” She gets out, staring at him. She clears her throat and returns back to the present, back to the man sitting beside her with hope in his eyes. “I need to know if you want the ceremony outside or in?”

“Outside,” He answers as he settles back on the sofa with his arm resting behind her. “Definitely outside.” Iris takes a moment to reply. She’s caught between wanting this moment to last forever and knowing it won’t. 

“Me too. What about the flowers?” She’ll play along, she decides, because it’s better than living in constant fear. No, she’s never been the fearful type.

“Hmm,” She grins at him already aware of his answer. The green of his eyes, that comforting green, looks black in their dimly lit living room and the way he glances off into the distance makes her wonder if he’s really indecisive about the type of flowers he wants.

“Violet’s,” They say at the same time and the underlying tension from moments ago dissipates with the lightheartedness of their conversation. Iris grins cheekily and moves to kiss the side of his lips. It’s a silent ‘thank you’ on her part.

“I knew it.” she gloats, dancing a little in her seat as she flips the magazine back open. She’s giddy even if it’s only for these few stolen seconds because right now they can start planning their future.  

He realizes what that feeling in his chest is, it’s longing. Longing for the future he wants so badly with her. His fingers twists in the ends of her hair and he subconsciously saves this moment in his mind, just like he’s done with all the others. 


	3. I’ll Take the Pain, Take it All Away, Just Give Me a Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He remembers taking her offered hand and knowing no matter where life takes them that she’ll forever be his home.

“W-what do you mean you’re Savitar?” Her voice trembles while she watches him with huge eyes, eyes Barry can’t seem to look away from. He takes a step closer to where she stands but she takes a step back, one of her hands reaching out as a warning to stop him. She doesn’t want him touching her and that burns a life size crater into his heart. He sucks in a pained breath and decides to give her space momentarily.

“I-I…” he stutters, not knowing how to answer her question coherently. How do you tell the love of your life that the monster who wants to murder her is some form of you? He scratches behind his ear, consternation crippling his chest.

“I-I’m not,” Barry’s nostrils flare as he inhales. His palms itch to touch her, his body already in need of her warmth, and her strength. She’s always been the stronger of the two until now. Water springs to his eyes once he notices how small she looks, how terrified. He’s never noticed that before.

“But he has your face so it’s some form of you, right?”

“Yes.” His feet step forward on their own accord, his heart beating erratically in his throat. Iris doesn’t move this time; she only wraps her arms around herself and he takes this as encouragement to take a half step closer. He wants to make all of this disappear. He wants to soak her pain up and make her feel better, make her feel alive. “Yes he has my face but he’s not me,”

Iris glances away but it’s too late because he sees her tears. He sees this wounded, hurtful look cross her features and he can’t imagine what she must be feeling.

He’s the love of her life, the man she sees a future with, the man of her dreams, her lover, her best friend, and it dawns on her that her _best friend’s_ doppelgänger wants to murder her and in all honesty, she doesn’t know how to react. How is she supposed to react?

“Iris,” She hears him plead, and the way he speaks her name is bleeding with the pain imploding inside of her chest. Her bottom lip quivers out of rhythm with her heaving. She wants to cry, no that’s not right, she wants to sob. She can already feel the tremor roll through her like thunder on a stormy night and this time she doesn’t try to stop it.

He’s catching her before she realizes she’s falling. They’re in a heap on the floor in the middle of Star Labs and she can’t recall her legs giving out or when she first tastes the salt from her tears.

_How is she supposed to react?_

Iris’s shaking hands finds Barry’s and her grasps are laden like steel but she holds no intentions of hurting him. She’s holding on for dear life. She’s exhausted from keeping up this persona, from pretending none of this is affecting her. It is because she’s afraid. She’s afraid of dying, of not being on earth long enough to accomplish her dreams, to be the woman she’s meant to be in this life.

Barry’s arms tighten around her, and he holds her to his chest while her sobs rock both of their tensed frames. His cheeks are wet when he buries his lips on top of her head.

“You have to believe me when I say I would never hurt you,” His words string together, rawness dripping from every syllable. “I’m the same person you’ve known since we were ten, the same person you welcomed into your home, the same person you believed when no one else did. I’m that same person Iris. I’ve never changed from that person and I would never do anything to hurt you,” He draws away from her enough to cup her cheeks, his palms engulfing her face. At first she doesn’t look at him but when she raises her gaze to his, he can’t help but brush gentle kisses over each of her eyes in turn.

It’s been seventeen years and he’s never seen her this fragile; this broken. She’s so strong, so independent that seeing her like this triggers a reaction deep in his gut. He can’t help but feel trepidation for the future.

No, Savitar won’t lay a finger on her. He’ll die before that happens. Her hands filter up to grip his wrists and all Barry can do is stare into the depths of her eyes. He remembers the day Joe brings him home from the police station, he remembers those same sweet eyes watching him with such kindness, such warmth. He remembers taking her offered hand and knowing no matter where life takes them that she’ll forever be his home.

“He’s not me Iris and I’m not him,” _No parts of me are_ , he adds silently. “I love you, you’re my life, my dream and I would never hurt you, okay?”

She exhales, her eyes no longer filled with tears. His thumb rubs over the vagarious thump of the beat in her wrist, hoping to reassure her. Barry can’t explain any of this, all he discerns is the need to protect her. She licks her lips and slowly nods willing herself to calm down, her sniffles the only response.

“He’s not me Iris,” Barry repeats again, nailing that fact in with his eyes. “Nor will I ever be him,” She visibly swallows and nods again, showing her decision to accept this. That’s all she can do because she doesn’t trust her voice not to waiver or her chest not to cave in. He leans in and kisses her lips so tenderly that Iris thinks she imagines the whole thing.

“Now let’s go figure out a way to stop him.” He’s wiping her tears away and helping her up within seconds. She doesn’t need to speak, or say a single word because he understands, he has always understood and the monster who pins for her death isn’t _her_ Barry Allen. He’s not worthy of sharing the same face either. Barry uses his knuckles to wipe the remainder of the salty wetness from her eyelashes.

“I love you,” she whispers, stopping him with a hand splayed over his racing heart.

“I love you too.” He responds without fault or kilter. He spreads his hand over the one on his chest and they stand for a pregnant moment gazing at each other, basking in a type of understanding. Iris is the first to break the moment. She turns her palm to his and intertwines their fingers together. She doesn’t smile, doesn’t do anything else but squeezes his hand as they both walk back into the cortex together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an added scene for 3x21. This is how I would want Iris to react. I hope you all enjoy.


	4. Even if it breaks me I’ll make my way to you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being in love with him is like learning how to breathe, like discovering all the great parts of herself she never realized existed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is so late!! I'm hoping to finish this drabble set up by Tuesday night. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I wanted to dive into Iris's psych more and I hope I have here. Enjoy :)

Water beats down around her in a stream of constant spray. It’s nice to tune the world out and let her own thoughts run rampant for a while.  

Between acknowledging May 23rd is next week and worrying about her family, she hasn’t had much time to worry about herself.  She covers her face with her hands hoping to halt the tears in their tracks. She wants to protect everyone she loves but more than that she wants to survive to make new memories with them too.

Iris turns towards the oncoming assault of pouring water and lifts her face upwards, basking in the comfort the water provides. Here; now, she gets to imagine seeing Hamilton in July with Barry, Cecile and her father. She gets to imagine witnessing her father’s promotion to police chief and Wally’s graduation.

_Wally’s graduation._

She squeezes her eyes tightly closed as the image of Wally walking across an auditorium stage flashes at the forefront of her mind. Her body’s already defying her orders, already shaking with silent sobs.

It hits hard that if Barry can’t - he will- but if he can’t save her that she has exactly one week of life left. One week to spend with her family, to bask in everything that is her job, her relationship and her home.

She remembers being sixteen and sneaking in through her bedroom window, she remembers Barry climbing into her bed at age eleven when his own demons wouldn’t allow him solace in the unconscious. She remembers being with her mother one day and then never being with her again. She remembers meeting Wally for the first time; her baby bro.

Her lips part and she struggles to take in the steam bubbling around her. She’s battling with her lungs to constrict, release and constrict again. This is the only sign that Savitar hasn’t won, hasn’t succeeded in impaling her into death.

Savitar. His name burns in her mind. At first she blames Barry. That train of thought doesn’t last long. She can’t picture her life without him, can’t picture not meeting that six-year-old boy so full of life and wonder. She just can’t.

She doesn’t dwell on the possibility of not knowing Barry because without him, without Bartholomew Henry Allen entering her life she wouldn’t know love so thoroughly. She wouldn’t know the strength of the emotions currently living inside of her.

Being in love with him is like learning how to breathe, like discovering all the great parts of herself she never realized existed. The power of it, the validity, hope and faith of it makes her free fall over and over and over again.

Iris pivots at the sound of the shower door opening and watches Barry step in. He pauses at the expression she wears and they stare at each other for a long moment. She sees it in his eyes, the worry and agony of knowing he’s somehow to blame for their future.

“I’m sorry.” His apology is silent under the pounding stream of water on the tile below their feet but she hears him anyway. She hears everything she needs in those two words.

She’s in his arms within seconds; her wet, naked body pressed against his. Barry’s hands touch everywhere they can on her petite frame: her neck, her shoulders, her perfectly rounded breast. It’s like he’s confirming for his own sanity that this isn’t a dream, that she’s standing in front of him, alive and breathing.

He peppers kisses all over face and the tears threaten again but not from sorrow or fear this time. It’s from the sheer force of love and adoration she feels for this man.

He walks them backwards until they’re directly under the showerhead and when he’s satisfied with what he sees in her eyes, he leans down and slants his lips over hers. It’s soft at first, their kiss but she wants - no needs- more and so she pushes her tongue into the heat of his mouth with abandonment and greed. She’s allowed to be greedy and take the very speed rushing through his veins. He tastes so good, so familiar and yet unfamiliar all at the same time. Her body stretches upwards and she holds onto him tighter than she’s ever held on to anything in her whole entire life.

_I love you.  I love you. I love you._


	5. Call my name at the edge of the night and I'd run to you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes he thinks he was born to love her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is super late but I hope you guys still like. I had it pre-written for a while now, I just didn't have the time to go back and edit and today I finally did the editing. It's the last chapter of this piece. I got the idea for this whole thing when I listened to Run to You by Lea Michele which is the title and the chapter titles. You guys should take a listen. That song has WA written all over it. I want to thank Wanderer765 again for being such a sweet, and amazing person. I'm dedicating this last chapter to one of my close friends, Kelly. She's awesomesauce and promised to beta all my work from now. Enjoy!

The sky is in a catalyst between night and day. Hues of lighten pinks and blues display up above. Iris and Barry snuggle together on the rooftop of Jitters. She’s between his legs, her fingers playing with his and though night is breaking into day she’s still the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

“What’re you thinking about?” he asks, watching their fingers twine together. They’re caught in this string of time. There isn’t yesterday or tomorrow; there’s only a now; a here. 

The small moments are the most important. They’re what makes the picture whole. It’s small moments like these that Iris favor most. Moments where she remembers his smell mixing with the brisk air twirling around them, the feel of his long fingers grasped in between her smaller ones, and the way his lips brush against the shell of her ear as he speaks.

These moments craft the picture of life.

“You,” She breathes without thought. It’s hard to focus when she’s this close. He can smell the scents emitting off her skin and he rubs his nose into her neck. The need to engulf her is always present but Barry knows there’s no practicality in his wish. 

“What about me?” There’s a tinge of lightness in his tone, the impending sunset briefly forgotten. Iris brings his fingers to her lips and kisses each of his knuckles slowly. 

“About how much you mean to me. About how the last seventeen years have been everything and more. About how you saved my life without even knowing it,” Her response is so undiluted that he closes his eyes and basks in the feel of her in his arms. She saved his life too. 

Iris’ heat seeps into his bones and warms him to the center of his soul. Sometimes he thinks he was born to love her.

He peppers wet kisses down her neck and smiles when she giggles. How can she be smiling after saying that to him? Barry tightens his hold on her. There’s no such thing as crowding each other. Her hands settle over his on her midriff and she turns her head to kiss his cheek with the same goofy, perfect smile she wears when she’s happy about something.

He makes her happy. 

Barry tilts his head and presses his lips to hers before she can kiss his cheek again. Nothing in the universe will ever compare to Iris West. She’s the one person God created perfectly. 

Night is officially breaking away, tagging the boldness of the sun in its descent and fear of the upcoming day knock around Barry’s chest with ferocious audacity. He wants to demand more time from the universe, wants to throw a temper tantrum and be selfish but he can’t. He has to be strong...for her...for them.

She breaks the kiss, a crazy, beautiful smile forming as she leans her forehead to his. This moment, this small moment is now embedded on the skin of her heart. She sighs contentedly before settling back in her original position with her back to his chest and his arms firmly wrapped around her.

She’s safe in his arms, the only place she can ever call home again. 

They both watch as May 23 rd is ushered into existence. That’s the thing about time, there’s no stopping it and the more you try to run away, the faster it slams into you. 

-

_ She doesn’t die on May 23rd but she loses the one thing her soul can’t live without...Barry.  _


End file.
